With manic choreography, light-hearted humour, an amusing love story and sweet, singable songs, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s 2024 stage production – ‘Seven Brides For Seven Brothers’ – offered a warm and lighthearted evening out to all those lucky enough to have secured a ticket for the show.
𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯-𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 70 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 1850’𝘴 𝘖𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴-𝘪𝘯-𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦.
Along the way, the audience was treated to some irresistibly lively dancing and more than a few laughs as Milly guided Adam and his brothers through the wilderness of etiquette and courtship to the peaceful valley of requited love.
Of the brothers, Gideon was played by Peter Michaels, Benjamin by Na’eem Mahomed, Caleb by Dylan Kivedo, Daniel by Josh Basson, Ephraim by Dumisa Mala, and Frank by Peter Michaels. (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.)
Of the brides, Alice was played by Amber Bezuidenhout, Dorcas by Lolitha Saki, Ruth by Lelomso Ngceba, Liza by Aaminah Steele, Martha by Jemae-Mari Davids, and Sarah by Joy Merifield.
𝙐𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙧𝙨 𝘼𝙫𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤-𝙖𝙣𝙙-𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛-𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙘 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮, highlighting the heart-warming essence of the story, with each member of the ensemble bringing depth and vibrancy to the stage, captivating the audience with their strong vocals and harmonious melodies.
The infectious energy of the Going Courtin’ sequence, where Milly teaches the brothers proper manners and dance moves, resonated long after the curtains closed, leaving smiles etched on the faces of all those in attendance. The town social scene, brimming with lively dance-offs and comedic antics, also stood out as a true highlight, showcasing the talent of our performers.
Moreover, the fight choreography was fun with lots of moments where the brothers’ tendency to break out into a brawl made the audience laugh.
Overall, the cast of brothers, brides, competing suitors and townfolk – in fact too many talented learners to mention – delivered an uplifting visual feast – the only thing missing was an invitation to get up there and join the party!
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. Their passion and dedication shone brightly on stage, leaving an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of witnessing their artistry.
Visit our Facebook page to view more photographs of this production.